The illusion of controlling the narrative

There was a time when brands controlled the narrative. Three television channels, some newspapers, a public relations agency. The information flow was manageable. A good press release could contain almost any crisis.

That ended. Today any employee, any customer, anyone who was in the wrong place at the wrong moment can change the conversation in minutes. Virality doesn't give warnings. And the attempt to control it usually accelerates it.

Organizations that best navigate crises aren't the ones that control the message most. They're the ones that built enough trust before the crisis arrived that people give them the benefit of the doubt when something goes wrong.

The brands that control their image most are the ones that control it least.